Small Town in a Big City: Florence

I know I can get long-winded, so I will try to keep this short and let the pictures do the talking (of which there are also a lot of).  Mid trip found our group in Florence.  I really didn't know much about Florence except museums, of which I had made reservations for the following day.  It was a national holiday for Italians, so there were lots of people out and about, shopping the high-end fashion stores with their friends and family on the main drag, Italian flags everywhere, the first really nice temperatures since arriving in Italy, and leather to  purchased; oh, how wonderful the shopping zones smell because of all that leather!  At first I didn't think Florence was all that much to be excited about, but this Tuscan city just feels warm  - maybe it's the neutrally toned buildings, or that there are still moments right in central Florence where there are dark narrow streets that feel like they are in a small village somewhere.  But then there is the Duomo, not only impressive from ground level in its size and technological impact, but also seen from above rooftop level, which I saw from the tower at my hotel (I SWEAR it was the best view in all of Florence) at all different times of day.  I beheld Michelangelo's two Pietas, teared up at the Accademia when I saw his David (didn't expect that) and drooled over Bottichelli's "Birth of Venus" and his other works at the Uffizi Gallery.  I was tricked into buying a 12 Euro (that's $16, my friends) ice cream cone, but enjoyed every lick, toured the Medici Palace, listened to live music on the Ponte Veccio as the sun was setting, and ended with a reverent tour of the American WWII cemetery just outside of the city.  Florence was good to me.

this is the fake David, placed in front of the city hall after the real one was moved to the Accademia

the baptistry on the left, Duomo in the center, and the bell tower on the right

The view of the Duomo and city hall from the top of the tower at my hotel.  It is the tallest privately owned tower in Florence

night view from the tower

a crucifix from 1320 that used to hang in the Duomo

Michelangelo's unfinished "Pieta" in at the Duomo Museum (sometimes called "The Deposition"), done not long before his death.  Nicodemus's face is actually thought to be a self portrait

" 'Fra-gee-le.'  Hm.  Must be Italian"

Your friendly neighborhood police officers hoping to serve you

two tenors warming up in a concert hall for that evening's performance

quiet streets in the morning

the Ponte Vecchio and other bridges crossing the Arno River

Erin's Spy Cam from the top of the hotel tower

Another view of Florence from the hotel tower

an outfit I coveted

the offending gelateria...it really was soooo pretty inside

That's what 12 Euro of ice cream on a cone looks like (each)

leather market

This is where I bought one pair of sandals.  It's nerve-wracking though because they're kinda pushy and when you see something you like, they pull you downstairs into their dungeon of a stockroom to try stuff on.  I was worried I may never see my friends again!

US WWII Memorial and Cemetery outside of Florence

If I had to die for my country, I hope they would bury me somewhere  like this.